Dysfunctional
by midnight serendipity
Summary: They always had a dysfunctional relationship they called friendship...or was it just denial? Sasu/Saku
1. Birthday party

I don't own Naruto…sigh.

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Uchiha Mikoto was a lady well known for four traits that she possessed: beauty, intelligence, elegance and kindness. Yet no matter how refined the ebony haired woman may be nobody would be brave enough to even dare cross her path when angered. She was actually the only woman alive who was able to make the mighty Fugaku Uchiha stutter and put him to his knees. And right now, even if the Uchiha matriarch who was donned in a simple yet sophisticated red dress and matching red stilettos with a few accessories (a pair of gold bvlgari dangling earrings and bracelet), appeared very refined and lady-like to her guests, offering a charming smile and kind remarks to anyone in front of her, Itachi knew very well that his mother's patience was now hanging on a very, _VERY _thin wire. And it was all because of his younger brother, and just as the thirteen year old Uchiha, who was currently leaning in the doorframe dressed in a sleek black tux predicted, his mother was now on her way to him.

"Itachi, do you know where your brother is?" asked Mikoto whose voice laced in sweetness did nothing but to make Itachi shiver.

"I think he's hiding in the attic kaasan."

"Thanks dear" and with that his mother dashed across the huge mansion and up the stairs in order to draw out her younger son from hiding. Seriously, it was times like this that Mikoto wished the house wasn't so big.

Itachi sighed at his mother's antics and went back to the scenario before him when a sound of giggles caught his attention. There, a little to the right of the fountain was a group of girls that was whispering and giggling, pointing to his direction.

With a groan the dark haired boy murmured "fangirls" at his breath and went to the kitchen, with the thought of joining Sasuke into hiding.

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"Uchiha Sasuke, just what do you think you're doing here?" Mikoto, with her hands on her hips, asked her son whom she found in the attic sitting on the farthest corner possible.

With a groan, the newly turned seven year old Uchiha stood up and went to his mother. Sure he didn't want parties and everything that goes with it, but Sasuke never liked the thought of going against his mother's wishes, he was after all his mama's boy.

"I don't want to be down there" he said gruffly

"But sweetie it's your birthday. This party is for you." Mikoto said while bending downwards to dust off his tux.

"Parties are for girls" he said with a pout.

"Sasuke, this is our gift for you. You would like to make your mother happy by joining us down there right?" Mikoto said with a smile, finding her little son's tantrum adorable. Knowing her youngest son, she knew that Sasuke would never be able to say no to anything she wants. Even if it wasn't exactly the type of thing Sasuke enjoyed, he just never found the strength to disagree when it comes to his mother's happiness, making him his mother's favorite. Which is the exact reason why she chose that particular statement, sure Mikoto might be abusing her power over her son already, but well, it was actually that attitude of her that enabled her to snag Fugaku as her husband.

"If you go down there and be a good boy, I promise I'll give you a reward later."

"You say that every time kaasan" but nevertheless, went downstairs with his mom, for he knew he'd never be able to win an argument with her.

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"Sakura will you please stop that?" exclaimed a beautiful pink haired woman to her daughter who was currently stomping her feet.

"But mom, I don't want to go here" Sakura whined, wearing a red baby doll dress and white shoes. Her short pink hair was kept back by a white headband that emphasized her huge forehead, weird as it may seem though, it suited her well and made her all the more cute and adorable.

"That's not nice dear, Sasuke-kun attended your birthday party a few months ago remember?" asked her mother, hoping that guilt-tripping her daughter would do the trick.

"I don't care" she huffed

Her mother sighed and rolled her eyes, if there was one attitude Sakura inherited from her father that she doesn't and perhaps will never approve of, it was his stubbornness. Seriously her father Satoshi Haruno was a great man, smart, kind, loving and had a strong determination and Hana was sure her daughter was all that, but really did it have to go that far for her to inherit his stubbornness too?

"Can you just do this for me and for your aunt Mikoto?"

"Hmpf, fine"

"That's my girl." Her mother said, though still not quite satisfied with her daughter's answer as they entered the Uchiha estate.

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The party was being held inside the Uchiha's lush gardens and by lush it means _ABSOLUTELY _lush, with rare orchids that can be spotted here and there, pots of daisies, jasmines, roses, lilies, suntans, tulips, bougainvilleas and many other floras in neat arrays. But despite the hundreds of pots of different foliages, strangely enough, dozens of round tables covered with extravagant tapestries and not to mention the chairs that go with it, still were able to find a suitable space. The guests were busy chattering with each other, obviously enjoying the party as waiters went around serving the food, all just for Mikoto's favorite son.

"Hana, Sakura-chan I'm so glad you could come" Mikoto said with her arms wide open.

"Mikoto-san" Sakura called, with a huge grin plastered on her face as she ran to hug Mikoto's waist, while her mother followed to place a small kiss on the Uchiha matriarch's cheek.

"Oh Sakura you look lovely, doesn't she Sasuke?"

"Hn" the said boy glared.

"Sasuke, be nice!" his mother hissed

Sakura grinned, but stopped short when her mother told her to give Sasuke his birthday gift.

"It's from mother" Sakura said gruffly, extending her hand with Sasuke's gift.

"Sakura, where are your manners?!" Hana exclaimed, giving Sasuke his chance to grin.

"Anyway, why don't you two find a table, while Hana and I talk for a while?"

The two kids groaned, but proceeded nonetheless, for they knew that it was a losing battle with their mothers. The two sat down beside each other in the farthest table where they were the only two occupants. Sakura took the time to eye her surroundings, and she definitely appreciated everything she saw. Suddenly remembering her mother's words a while ago, she felt guilty on how she treated Sasuke and sort of wanted to make it up to him. She glanced at the said boy beside her, noticing the bored expression on his face.

'_**Ne, even if he's such a jerk, he's still cute'**_ Inner Sakura said giggling

'You call that cute?'She huffed

'_**Aaaw c'mon be nice, it's his birthday after all and he did give us this headband during our birthday'**_

'Fine'

The ebony haired boy eyed the little girl beside him, and from the frown in her face, he could easily tell that she was having an inner battle.

'Weird' he thought

"A-ano Sasuke-kun"

"Hn"

"Happy birthday"

"Hn"

"Is that all you're going to say?" Sakura snapped losing her patience easily

'_**Gee, talk about approachable' **_

"You should say thanks you know" she snapped

"You're annoying"

"Well it's not my fault; I was just trying to apologize"

"You call that apologizing?" the dark haired boy asked, sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"Hmpf"

"You're not doing a good job"

"I shouldn't have come here"

"Nobody asked you to"

"You're so ungrateful, I even wore this headband 'coz I thought you'd appreciate it!"

"It's from kaasan and it makes your forehead look bigger" he said nonchalantly

The pink haired girl's gasp made him turn, emotionless onyx met shocked, hurt and glassy emerald. And that was when he realized that she was on the verge of tears. Guilt ate his insides and tried to think of a way to apologize.

"Take that back" she hissed, fist clenching in anger. Her mood suddenly changed faster than Sasuke could blink, and before he could open his mouth, he suddenly found himself toppled on the grass, his cheek throbbing, he also noticed that the murmurs of the crowd suddenly stopped. To say that he was shocked is an understatement, he was flabbergasted, for he realized that Sakura Haruno just punched him, and it hurt.

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Sakura was sitting beside the window of her pink bedroom, staring at the scenery as she recalled the happenings during the day. She still remembered the angry shouts of her mother as she scolded her about proper decorum on the way home. She felt bad about disappointing her mother and hurting Mikoto-san's feelings, but Sasuke Uchiha had just insulted her forehead, sure it was huge she knew that already, but did he just have to be so blunt? He hurt her feelings and he didn't even apologize, so she vowed that she would make him pay, even if it takes her her whole lifetime to do that.

With that thought in mind, she stood up hurriedly and got on her bed, opened the top drawer that was beside it and took out her journal and pen. She paused for awhile thinking what to write, and then as a thought hit her; the girl smiled and scribbled something down.

'There all finished' she thought happily

'_**I never knew we were quite an artist, though that's a bit sadistic don't you think?'**_

'After what he did to us this morning, of course not'

'_**You punched him, remember?'**_

'He deserved it'

With that thought, inner Sakura seem to have disappeared and have already agreed with her. Sighing happily, she took one last look at her masterpiece before hitting the sack. There on her journal was a drawing of Sasuke with his chicken butt hair, his eyes were crossed out and his tongue sticking out, next to it was a note saying, "Payback time Sasuke Uchiha!"

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Sasuke was already in his pajamas and was currently sitting on the couch after being nursed by his mother, and it wasn't a good experience. He had to endure his mother's reproaches, telling him that it was his fault for provoking Sakura, and not behaving like the gentle man he should be. Truth be told, his mother's reprimands made his cheek hurt more, not that he would admit to it though. He was just about to stand up when Itachi suddenly entered the room, a smug expression abruptly appearing on his face upon seeing his younger brother. Sasuke groaned, knowing that what was about to come won't be good.

"You look like you're in pain otouto" Itahi said grinning

"It's not that painful" the younger boy lied

"You sure? Your cheek looks like a tomato"

"Bug off aniki"

"She sure does have a good arm doesn't she?" as he moved to take a seat across the seven year old

"No" he said, though even if he hated the fact that his aniki was rubbing it on his face that he got hit by a girl and clearly enjoyed it, he can't help but inwardly agree with that statement.

"And she's cute too, don't you think so otouto?"

"She's ugly" Sasuke said, but surprisingly, he blushed.

Itachi always took pleasure on teasing his younger brother, and he just found the perfect opportunity, when the little girl he always called weak managed to punch him. But nothing prepared him for the sight of a blushing Sasuke, so he decided to push it some more.

"You'll never know, she just might be your girlfriend one day" he said, feigning indifference

"Not gonna happen" Sasuke said and hastily stood up, crossed the room and climbed up the stairs, all in just a split of a second. But no matter how fast he tried, Itachi didn't miss the darker shade of red that stained his cheeks.

"Interesting" Itachi said with a mischievous glint in his eyes.


	2. High school

Hey guys thanks for the reviews..

And to C.A.M.E.O. well, maybe I can give you Itachi if I owned Naruto..

But I don't..maybe you'll have to ask the owner of Naruto for him..oh and sorry for the long wait guys

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The classroom was becoming noisier each moment as people started filling in. Girls were currently busy in their gossip world, while boys took their time goofing around and tossing soccer balls toward each other.

These were ignored by a pink haired teenager sitting near the back of the room, beside the window with her nose buried in a book. Sakura had grown into a beautiful young woman, her emerald eyes and long pink locks composed her exotic looks. Even her baby fat had gone, her chest had developed, and together with her small waist, hips and though-not-that-long yet slender legs, gave her a perfect figure. She still had a huge forehead, but complemented her beauty all the more.

"Hey forehead"

Sakura looked up to see her blonde best friend sitting beside her.

"Hey pig, anything new?" she asked smiling. Ino was known as the chatterbox and gossip queen of the gang. But, in fact, she can actually keep a secret. The blonde's beauty has placed her as one of the hottest girls in school. She had long platinum blonde hair that she always wore in a pony tail with her bangs falling down on one side of her face, covering one of her baby blue eyes. The two girls were wearing the same uniform, a dark blue blazer, white long sleeved blouse underneath, beige pleated plaid miniskirt, a pair of knee length socks and black shoes.

"Nothing much, heard anything from mr. hotty?"

"Erm, you talking about Sasori?" Sakura asked, feigning innocence though perfectly knowing who her best friend was talking about, he was after all, _every girl's_ topic.

"Billboard, you know who I'm referring to"

"Well, we're dating and you know I'm loyal" Sakura said with a smile plastered on her face.

"Duh, even with thoughts? C'mon Sak, you yourself know he's way hotter than Sasori."

"Ino leave Sakura in peace"

The two girls turned to face Tenten with Hinata right behind her. The two girls were also their friends and belonged to the gang. Tenten had deep brown eyes with her chocolate brown hair pulled into two buns. Hinata was the timid one, she had long purple hair and her most attracting trait was her pearly white eyes.

"Oh,hello Neji-lover" Ino said mischievously, with a knowing smile on her lips

"Ino! Not so loud, and it was only a crush, besides that's been over for so long!" Tenten stated defensively with a blush on her cheeks

Sakura, Ino and Hinata looked at each other, smiling; they all knew that Tenten had been crushing on Neji since their third grade. A horde of shrieking girls suddenly got their attention and all four turned their curious eyes to the right and got their answer. There on the door was the campus heartthrob and playboy, the high school sex God…Sasuke Uchiha in all his glory. He was donned in the male's school uniform a dark blue blazer, white long sleeved polo underneath (with the top three buttons open, which is a rule breaker), beige pants (a darker shade than that of the girls') and black shoes, the male's uniform also had a beige necktie with it, but Sasuke refused to wear it, which is of course another rule breaker. He was on his way to his seat but as usual got delayed by his fangirls who wouldn't do anything but block his path, but after a second went back to their seats, due to the murderous glare that was sent their way. Their professor, Hatake Kakashi who was of course, late, came in just after Sasuke had taken his seat.

Sakura looked at the man who sat right next to her, taking in all his features. At sixteen years old, he really had grown from a little boy to a handsome young man. He still had the same onyx hair and deep onyx eyes which greatly contrasted to his pale white skin. Sakura was so lost in thought that she didn't realize she was actually staring already.

'_**What a nice piece of meat, don't you think?'**_ inner Sakura suddenly piped in

'Don't start with me!'

'_**Aaaw c'mon, until when are you gonna keep denying?'**_

'You know the very fact that you exist, I should really get my head checked.'

It had only been about three minutes since class started, but Sasuke was already bored with their history class, and why the need to listen, when he always managed to stay at the top of his subjects with ease. He was trying his best to listen but got distracted when he felt a pair of eyes on him. It wasn't hard to find the source though, for he noticed that the attention was coming from his pink haired seatmate, which of course amused Sasuke, for it wasn't everyday that Sakura Haruno took time in eyeing him. Sasuke who made it his everyday routine of annoying the girl grabbed the chance and leaned a little to his left casually.

"Falling in love with me Haruno" he said as a statement, smirking

Sakura blushed, realizing that she actually ogled the bastard. But because she wouldn't give in to defeat easily, she regained her composure quickly and tried to think of a remark.

"Keep dreaming Uchiha" she replied with a smile

"Hn, like what you see?"

"Au contraire, I was just trying to figure out what girls see in you."

"Sasuke, Sakura would you please enlighten us with your conversation" came the bored tone of their professor.

"Nothing professor" they both said in unison smirking at each other before shifting their attention back to the board.

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"Sakura-chan!" came from the obnoxious blonde, who engulfed the said girl in a bear hug.

It was already lunch and the gang was on their usual table and usual seats. Shikamaru, Ino and Sakura were on one side, while Sasuke, Neji, Hinata and Tenten were on the other.

"Mmmpph" came from the girl who was currently on his chest.

"Eh, did you say something Sakura-chan?"

"Dobe, she can't breathe"

"Ah, Sorry Sakura-chan, I got carried away, hehe" the blonde said, scratching the back of his head while smiling sheepishly

"It's okay Naruto" the said girl replied trying to put as much distance between them as possible as the two sat down, due to the fear of dying from lack of air and Hinata. Seriously, Naruto can be pretty stupid. Naruto was Sasuke's best friend and rival at the same time, he had blonde hair and bright blue eyes. There were some sort of whiskers on his cheeks. Despite his somewhat annoying attitude and stupidity, he was one of the cutest boys in school.

"Why weren't you here all morning?" asked Ino

"Ah, I overslept" he said laughing

"Again?" Sakura asked disbelievingly

"Troublesome" Shikamaru murmured

"He's a dobe" Sasuke stated, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world

"What did you say teme?"

"Dobe"

"Teme"

"Dobe"

"Teme"

"Guys, do you have any other thing to say to each other? Seriously you remind me of Gai-sensei and Lee, creepy" Tented said, when suddenly a cell phone beeped, making the gang fumble with each of their phones.

"Mine" Sakura said, flipping through her phone

'It's from Sasori' she thought happily

'_**Pick you up after school beautiful'**_

'Okay, can hardly wait…' Sakura replied, oblivious to the pair of onyx eyes observing her.

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It was already five o' clock and school had already finished since an hour ago. Naruto, Sasuke and Neji decided to go to the mall to check out some new games to play on Sasuke's play station 3.

"Wolverine?" Neji suggested

"Hn, is it good? Sasuke asked, while flipping on a bunch of games, while Neji just shrugged his shoulders.

"Transformers?" it was the Uchiha's turn to ask

"I heard it was a total rip off" Neji answered again

"Valkyria chronicles" Naruto said for the first time, which was answered by two pairs of raised eyebrows from the two men.

"You gay?" Neji asked

"Hey it was only a suggestion"

"Hn" Sasuke and Neji both said at the same time

"Great, I'm with two guys who have speaking dyslexia"

"Hn" the two guys said again

"Terminator Salvation?" Sasuke asked

"It's okay" Neji answered

"Fine with me" Naruto said

"Just this?" Sasuke asked again, Neji just shrugged his shoulders for the second time

"How about Resident evil 5?" It was Naruto's turn to ask

"So Uzumaki has taste" Neji said cockily

"Hey" Naruto replied defensively

"It's a classic, I'd go at it anytime" Sasuke said nonchalantly

"It's settled" Neji finished before the blonde could retort

The three guys paid the games hastily, trying to get out of the store fast and evade the flirting stares of the girls. But as they went out, the scenario was even worse for there were much more girls outside the store. With a groan, they just ignored the annoying girls that were eyeing them, and some were already even stalking them, too bad Sasuke's car was parked at the other side of the mall. After about half an hour later they already reached the west exit leading to the parking lot where their ride was currently stationed, when something at the café located just before the exit caught Sasuke's eye. There on the third table to the left was Akasuna Sasori, a senior from a neighbor school who had the same reputation as him. But the truth was, he didn't give a damn about the guy, it was actually the girl who was holding his hand that got the Uchiha's attention…pink haired girl to be exact, and there was only one girl with pink hair that he knew, and he didn't like it one bit.


	3. Deja vu

Hi guys…thanks again for the awesome reviews…

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"So as I was saying" Ino said continuing her rant about a dress she had seen from a boutique at the mall two days ago.

"Ino, why don't you just buy it and not pester us anymore?" came the exasperated tone of Tenten

"Well, I'll need your opinion if it looks good on me"

"A-ano Ino, w-we can't see the dress" stuttered Hinata

"That's why I'll take you there" Ino said again with a proud grin on her face.

"Let me get this straight, you'll take us to the mall just to see your dress?" Sakura suddenly piped in, placing the book she was reading down.

"Uhuh"

"Wow isn't that a bit of a spoiled brat?" Tenten said jokingly

"Whatever panda" Ino said sticking her tongue out

"W-why do y-you need the d-dress?"

"Nothing really" Ino said nonchalantly, though a small blush on her cheeks said otherwise.

"Nothing? Or is it about impressing your mr. dreamguy?" the pinkette asked with a knowing smirk playing on her lips.

"Sak, you know however I like Sasuke I'll never have a chance with him"

"I t-think Sakura w-wasn't talking about h-him" Hinata said with a smile on her face too.

"Eh?" asked the blonde looking at her three friends.

"Shikamaru" Sakura, Hinata and Tenten said in unison.

"What about him?" Ino asked innocently, though the darkening blush on her cheeks stated quite the opposite.

"Ino, you know you can't fool us" Sakura said with a smile on her face

"Yeah we all know your I-love-Sasuke-kun-act is just to hide your true feelings" Tenten said exaggeratedly

"Yeah, why don't you try and talk to him or somehow, I know he'll like you" Sakura said placing a comforting hand on her friend's shoulder

"Come on, he thinks girls are troublesome"

"Y-you m-might be able to c-change that"

"You think so?"

"We know so, c'mon you're one of the hottest girls in school" Tenten added

Sakura rolled her eyes, seriously, what Tenten said was true, and Ino never had problems with guys before. That's the reason why she can't understand what Ino was so frightened about when it came to that lazy ass, heck even gay men turns straight when she passes by. Guy problems were for her, but well maybe Shikamaru is Ino's first true love after all.

The girls were huddled in one corner of the room having their usual chit-chat before class started, that was about to end due to the bell that rang and their professor who just came in.

"Well, alright I'll think about it" Ino said with a smile as she stood up to go to her seat. The blonde was about to take a seat when she felt someone slip something on her blazer's left pocket. She turned around but couldn't find anyone possible for that action so she just fumbled in her pocket and found a note.

'Meet me at the Physics lab at lunch' it said. There was no name indicated so she looked up again and search for the culprit and found none other than Uchiha Sasuke looking straight at her. She narrowed her eyes in confusion and question. Sasuke seemed to understand so he gave a small nod, admitting that it was his. The blonde returned the note to her pocket and proceeded to take her seat, focusing her thoughts on the lesson to be discussed.

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"Hey have you seen Ino?" Sakura asked while placing her tray down at the table.

"Yeah that pig's gonna lose weight if she misses lunch" Tenten piped in.

"I'm n-not sure, but s-she said she's going to take c-care of something f-first." Hinata shyly whispered, glancing at Naruto.

"Well, even teme's gone" the blonde said.

"Sasuke?" asked Sakura.

"Yep, he too said that he needed to take care of something." Shikamaru answered.

"Oh" the pinkette mumbled

"Sakura, you ok?" Tented asked.

"Yeah sure, I just need to go to the washroom first." Sakura said again as she stood up.

The rosette girl didn't know why but she suddenly felt weird when her friends mentioned that both Ino and Sasuke were missing. It wasn't like she didn't like the thought or something; she just felt…weird, that's all, nothing more, nothing less.

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Ino glanced around the room after shutting the door behind her. She had no difficulty locating Sasuke for he stood like he owned the place. He was there. Leaning at the professor's table with his arms crossed. The blonde couldn't deny he was certainly some catch, and she did have a crush on him, but that had been over the day she became aware that she'll never get his attention, unless she wanted nothing more than a sexual relationship with him, but no matter how Ino may be such a bitch, she was never that kind of girl.

"Well, what do you want?" she asked

"I need to know something Ino" the dark haired young man said as he approached her.

"Okay" Ino said, raising an eyebrow with curiosity.

"And I need you to tell me the truth" he said again, stopping about a meter from her.

"What's it about anyway?"

"Is Sakura seeing Akasuna Sasori?"

"Eh?" the blonde asked, knowing this conversation was up to no good.

"You heard me"

"Fine, yes, so what?" Ino asked again, crossing her arms.

"How long?"

"Why do you need to know?"

"How. Long. Ino?" Sasuke asked again, emphasizing his point

"Six weeks" she huffed, if there was anything about the guy that she would certainly disapprove of, it was his temper.

"They've been over a month?" he growled.

"Yeah so?" Ino said again, taunting Sasuke.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Do I need to?"

"I don't think you know who Sasori is Ino"

"And you do?." Ino said with a sarcastic smile.

"He's not good for her" Sasuke said, running his hand through his hair.

"Really? Why Sasuke? Why is nobody ever good for her, not Kiba, nor Naruto nor Sai?" Ino said raising her voice already. Sasuke was about to retort, but she beat him to it.

"No Sasuke, you listen and you listen well. If you think I don't know what you've been doing then think again Uchiha. I know you've been threatening her suitors, and if ever she managed to have a boyfriend despite your taunts, you'd still find a way to make the guy back away."

"They're not worthy of her" he stated matter of factly

"Then who is? You?" Ino shouted angrily

"She's my friend" Sasuke said, fists clenched.

"Fine, then if you're not going to court her then let her be happy with her own choices, cause frankly, friend or not, you don't have a right to meddle with her affairs." Ino said again, before turning around to leave the Uchiha to absorb her message.

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Class had just ended and Sakura hastily put her things into her sling bag, wanting nothing but to get home already.

"Hey Sak, ready to go?" asked Tenten

"Huh? Where?" she asked dumbfounded

"To the mall silly, you've forgotten already" Ino joked

"Oh, I'm sorry I can't come" she said halfheartedly

"W-why? A-are you o-okay?" Hinata asked worriedly

"I'm fine, I just need to rest I think"

"You want me to drive you home?" Ino asked, concern evident in her voice

"No thanks Ino, I'm fine, you go and have fun." She said managing to smile to her best friend.

"Alright, we'll find anything to buy for you" Ino said again

"Bye Sak" Tenten chirped in

"T-take c-care" Hinata mumbled

"Okay you too guys, promise I'll make it up to you next time" she said as she lackadaisically waved goodbye to her friends.

The emerald eyed girl sat down in her seat, rubbing her temples. She felt bad ditching her friends like that, but she knew this was the right thing to do, she hasn't been feeling right since lunchtime and she didn't want to risk snapping at her friends to let her frustrations out, which was quite soon, because of the stress brought about by too much thinking, the next person who'd talk to her was in danger of being screamed at, and she didn't want that to be any of her friends.

But most of all Sakura felt guilty for thinking about what transpired with Ino and Sasuke. She didn't even know what made her curious about it, or if they were indeed together during lunch. She knew she didn't have the right to interfere with her friend's life; Ino deserves to be happy after all.

'_**Yoohoo, need help?'**_

'What do you want?' she snapped

'Great, now I'm even angry at my own self, I'm going crazy!'

'_**No you're not; you just need to accept things'**_

'What things?'

'_**That you're jealous with Sasuke and Ino'**_

'What?!'

"Sakura" said a deep baritone voice, disrupting her inner musings

"Eh?" she said standing up to face a hard, strong, muscled chest.

"I'm here Sakura" the voice said, making the pinkette look up to see Sasuke's handsome, smirking face. Sakura immediately put some distance between them to be able to see Sasuke's face easily without looking up and because his fresh ocean breeze scent was intoxicating her, not that she would admit that out loud.

"What?"

"Why are you dating Sasori?" he asked coolly, his smirk disappearing.

"Excuse me?" Sakura asked, her patience wearing thin.

"You heard me"

Sakura snorted and grabbed her bag, turning around to leave, but just as she started to walk, a hand gripped her wrist and whirled her around, making her stare directly into Sasuke's obsidian eyes.

"Break up with him" Sasuke stated casually

"What?" she asked shocked

Sasuke rolled his eyes and said again, this time slowly, as if explaining to a three year old "Break. Up. Wi…"

"I heard what you said!"

"Then why are you asking?"

"Well why do you want me to break up with him?"

"He's not the guy for you"

"Great! After Ino you're hitting on me too!" Sakura said. She didn't mean and want that statement to come out her mouth, but she can't help it, she was just so confused and mad right now.

"What?" Sasuke asked, this time it was his turn to be shocked.

"You heard me" she said cockily imitating his former statement

"I didn't fuck Ino" his temper rising

"So now you're denying. She deserves a better man than you jerk!" Sakura yelled, pointing a finger at him

"You think of Ino that way? Then she obviously doesn't deserve you for a best friend" he said smirking

Sakura wanted to retort, but how could she, for Sasuke had just voiced her own guilt, making tears form in her eyes.

Sasuke realized his mistake and wanted to apologize.

"Sakura" he said, but never got to finish his sentence for all he heard was a sudden loud slap that resounded in the room. It took him a moment before he felt a sting on his cheek and found out that Sakura had slapped him and ran out of the room.

Sasuke slightly touched his cheek and winced from the pain. Sasuke sighed as he went to get his backpack and contemplated on why the situation seemed like déjà vu. All the dark haired young man could do was smirk as the memory refreshed him about his seventh birthday.

'That girl always had a good arm' he thought.


	4. told you so

Hey, really sorry for the delay…just got busy

Thanks for the awesome reviews everyone

I just hope you'll like this too

* * *

The dark blue painted walls and ceiling of his bedroom were usually enough already to lull him to sleep. But try as he might the shirtless dark haired Uchiha kept tossing and turning on his bed with no luck of entering the world of dreamland soon. He glanced at the digital alarm clock that read "12:23 am" on top of the table located at the left side of his bed.

'Fuck' Sasuke can't help but to curse, realizing that he had been up for two hours since he lay down on the bed. Sasuke sat up and ran his hand through his hair, and with a groan, he stood up fully and put a shirt on before going out of his room.

* * *

The sky was still dark and full of stars, and Sasuke, no matter how emotionless he may be perceived by others, took his time to enjoy the serenity brought about by this scenery; the particular kind of serenity that the young man, currently sitting at the chairs in their balcony, sought at that moment.

"May I join you?" a sweet and kind voice that only belonged to his mother asked.

Sasuke turned to be greeted by his mother's charming smile. The Uchiha matriarch was clad in a simple white nightdress with a matching white robe cast over it, and her face completely void of makeup, with her long ebony hair cascading down her shoulders. Nodding, Sasuke can't help but give out a small smile due to the pride brought about the thought that no matter how simple his mother may be, no woman of any age would ever compare to her beauty.

"Can't sleep?" Mikoto asked taking a seat beside her son.

With another small nod, he asked "And you?"

"I just finished reading the new novel your father bought me, and was about to sleep, but I thought I'd go out here first." Mikoto said with a smile

Sasuke nodded again before turning his attention back to the horizon, a bit confused with his mother's antics.

"Is there something bothering you?" she asked again

"Nothing kaasan" Sasuke replied without turning his head to face his mother

"Sasuke, I know something's wrong from the very moment you arrived from school this afternoon"

"You were waiting for me to come out here" Sasuke said not as a question but as a statement, his eyes narrowing towards his mother. All he got was a smile from the cunning woman in front of him that was his mother, and it was all he needed to confirm his speculation. Sasuke refused to roll his eyes, because he knows the _trouble _it would bring.

"It's Sakura isn't it?" his mother asked again with a knowing smile.

"What's she got to do with it?" he asked annoyed at his mother's brilliance.

"Sasuke" she answered with a warning tone.

"Kaasan"

"Honey just tell me what happened"

"Why do you always know everything?"

"Well, one: I'm your mother, two: Sakura is the only one I know who can cause you these _kind_ of troubles and three: you two have been like this for all I can remember" Mikoto stated matter-of-factly

"…"

"Sasuke, why can't you and Sakura, get along…even for just a minute?"

"Not my fault"

"Maybe, but you'll just spend the whole night sulking, and I'm tired of that"

"I'm not sulking"

"Just brooding and do you know why?" Mikoto asked, ignoring the _almost glare_ sent her way when she mentioned the 'brooding' part.

"…"

"The two of you care for each other, but you're both too stubborn to admit it because of this rivalry or whatever sort of relationship you've established since you were kids. So please Sasuke, fix this, for all of our sakes."

"And I'm the one to fix this because?"

"Because, deny as you may, I know that it was always you who chased after Sakura and made things alright again, even if it lasted for just a day or two, and I know, even if you're stubborn and egoistic like your father, you're already planning on apologizing. And please dear, make it fast, I don't want to be spending my supposed-to-be-sleeping-hours at the balcony anymore." Mikoto said again, standing up.

"Good night dear" she said before going inside the house, leaving his son to ponder with his thoughts.

"Night kaasan" Sasuke replied, feeling frustrated with his mother, for she is the only human being alive that could pry things out of his mouth even without really putting much effort to it.

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep

The alarm clock just started its incessant buzzing, when an arm hit the button to stop, the arm, belonging to a certain pink haired girl, actually, an annoyed pink haired girl. Sakura sat up with a groan. It was Saturday and she forgot to turn off the clock the night before, resulting to the disruption of her sleep. It was still quite early but she stood up nonetheless, knowing fully well that she won't be able to go back to her slumber anymore.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Sakura took off her pajamas and put on a white tank top and gray shorts, with her hair tied up in a bun. She went down the stairs and proceeded to the kitchen to grab some breakfast, noticing the note on the fridge.

"We're at your brother's school, school affair. We didn't wake you up because we know you need to rest…mom and dad"

The pinkette smiled, for even if her parents treats her like a child most of the time, still it came in handy on times like this, especially now since the events that yesterday brought had made her shed buckets of tears that left her tired. Sakura refused to think about yesterday for she knew it would just do her no good, nodding at her newfound determination, she continued with the task of preparing her breakfast. After a few minutes, she was able to fix herself a bowl of cheerios and decided to eat it in front of the TV to give her some distraction and amusement.

Half an hour had already passed and add an already empty bowl of cereals but no program was able to sustain her interest for more than five minutes. She was just about to give up when her cell phone suddenly beeped.

'_**Hey wanna hang out at the mall?'**_

It was from Ino, Sakura felt her shoulders droop a little and her guilt surfaced again.

'_**Oh come on don't be too hard on yourself' **_inner Sakura said, popping out of nowhere

'Well I'm not sure if I can already face them'

'_**Then just try to make this opportunity to make it up to them, after all you did ditch them yesterday'**_

'Hmm, I guess you're right, gee I can't believe I'm actually agreeing with you for once'

'_**Duh you're the only one who doesn't trust me, maybe I deserve a bit more of a kind treatment' **_inner Sakura said wiggling her eyebrows

'Don't push your luck' Sakura said shaking her head, the thought enough to dismiss her inner.

'_**Alright, be there in an hour' **_replied Sakura with a smile on her lips.

* * *

"You're late forehead!" Ino said tapping her foot

"Sorry, sorry, I had trouble choosing my clothes" Sakura said smiling sheepishly

"Oh c'mon Sak, we're not Sasori, you know you don't have to look good for us" Tenten piped in, wherein she was met with Sakura sticking her tongue out.

"Really mature" the blonde beauty said again.

"A-ano, y-you look r-really cute S-sakura chan" Hinata said before the pinkette could reply.

"Well, thanks Hinata, to tell you honestly, I spent about forty five minutes for this" Sakura replied laughing. Indeed the sixteen year old looked good donned in a striped grey and white long sleeved shirt with a really low neckline, faded denim miniskirt, sneakers with her hair tied in a high ponytail.

"Forty five minutes?" asked Ino

"Yep what's with the idea? Date with Sasori later?

"Nope, just wanted to feel comfortable and besides, it's not like pig doesn't make us wait for an hour and a half just to get dressed because her clothes doesn't fit her anymore"

"Point taken" Tenten agreed

"Hey, no cracks about the waistline!" Ino said stomping her feet, which ended with the four of them laughing.

"Where to?" Sakura asked after catching her breath.

"W-well we were t-talking a-about watching a m-movie before y-you came, what d-do you think?"

"Sure, no problem" Sakura replied, her mood finally lightening

The four teenagers were just about to turn around the corner when a couple making out in the bench distracted them.

"Eew talk about privacy, it's just so gross" Ino muttered under her breath so as not to be heard by other people.

"Maybe they can't afford a room" Tenten snickered.

"A-ano guys c-can we just h-hurry up" Hinata asked shyly with a blush adorning her cheeks, she really just wasn't used to this types of scenery.

"Good idea, I think we should ju…" Sakura was just about to tell her friends to ignore the couple but the boy's jacket caught her attention, making her stop dead in her tracks and turn around. The moment she did however, dread instantly filled her gut and she can't help but be rooted on the spot. She felt her head spin a little and her vision instantly became blurry. She heard the worried voices of her friends but they seemed so distant, it was as if all that existed was her and the kissing couple. She felt herself give a little shake and knew that she was about to break down, but before her tears consumed her, she was able to form one coherent word.

"Sasori"

And then everything became a total blur.


	5. Her greatest solace

The day was bright and sunny, with clouds partly scattered, shielding the city of Konoha from too much scorching heat, making it indeed a perfect day. Yet, this stood oblivious from four teenage girls, who were currently huddled in a certain pinkette's bedroom.

Sakura had already lost count of the amount of tissue boxes she had consumed and the number of times she had uttered her tirade. Yet the strawberry blonde girl just can't help but to pour out her heart's content to her friends. The memory of yesterday's events kept replaying in her head and it felt that her heart was already going to burst.

"S-sakura, you can't keep c-crying forever, he's not w-worth it," Hinata sweetly said as she patted her friend's shoulder.

"Yeah forehead, the guy's just a walking libido and seriously just wanted nothing to do with you but get inside your pants" Ino piped up while pacing around Sakura's room.

"Hello, rude" Tenten snapped throwing a pillow at the blondie's direction

"Am not, just stating the facts, it would help Sakura to move on if she sees how much of a jerk that asshole is, cheating on Sakura with a slut, the hell even Karin looks better than her" Ino answered again, turning just in time to avoid getting hit by Tenten's aim.

"A-ano guys, I-I think we sh-should focus on S-sakura"

"It's okay Hina," answered the said pinkette,

"How can you put up with me guys?" she asked with a soft sniff

"Well, you we can put up with, it's actually miss chatterbox here that's getting on our nerves!" Tenten said matter-of-factly, as she stood up and put Ino in a headlock.

"Hey, you'll ruin my hair" Ino shouted trying to get out of her current position.

"Oh, that is so you, pig" Tenten teased

Sakura giggled softly, thankful for the little distraction her friends brought her. But still it wasn't enough to drown out the pain and shame that she was feeling. She knew what her friends said was right, that cheating on her was Sasori's loss, but why did it feel that she lacked conviction?

Especially when she remembered the look on Sasori's face when he found out that he had been caught cheating by none other than her, his own girlfriend. It was as if he showed her that he had nothing to lose, and to make matters worse he even denied right then and there that she was his girlfriend when Ino and Tenten confronted him. She can still feel how all the courage faded away from her when that bimbo smirked and mouthed "wannabe" at her. All she wanted was for the ground to open up and swallow her, but of course life was never that easy for her.

"Hey, you're thinking about him again" Ino said worriedly, sitting beside her with her hair all messed up due to Tenten's headlock.

"I'm sorry guys, it's just so hard" she confessed, feeling embarrassed.

"Shush, it's okay" the blondie replied enveloping her in a hug, Tenten and Hinata following suit.

"A-ano, I'm s-sorry Sakura, b-but I have t-to go" Hinata said standing up, after a few minutes.

"It's okay Hina, you should go too Ino, and Tenten I'm sure, you have plans, its Sunday after all."

"You sure about that? You know we can always stay a bit longer" Tenten offered, trying to hide her urgency to go as well.

"It's okay guys, I know your parents are already looking for you"

"Well, okay but if you need anything don't hesitate to call, alright?" Ino piped up, patting her friend's back.

"Okay, Thank you" Sakura said, hugging her friends again before they left.

After the door closed, Sakura can't help but feel empty and alone without her friends, but she wasn't selfish, she knew she couldn't keep them locked up in here with her just because she needed some distraction. She was sincerely grateful for her friends and the comfort that they give her, but she knew that the solution to all her problems lie in her hands alone. With that thought in mind, she went into her bathroom and became disgusted with herself when she turned on the lights and saw her reflection. Her eyes were puffed and bloodshot, her hair all messy and tangled and she knew that she stunk as well. Turning on the faucet, she grabbed her toothbrush and squeezed a healthy dollop of toothpaste in it and prepared herself for a quick bath.

Sakura felt refreshed as she got out of the shower, it wasn't much but it was enough for her to feel a bit relieved. After dressing up in her undies, tank top and shorts, the teenage beauty went to the windows and pulled open her curtains letting the sunlight engulf the gloom. She squinted her eyes to let it adjust and roam around her room and made a disapproving grunt as she noticed the state of chaos it was currently in. The bed was still undone, the pillows as well as her clothes from yesterday were in a tangled heap on the floor and her trash was overflowing with tissues. With a sigh, Sakura made a move to clean up her mess; she knew that nothing was going to be that easy but she was willing to try and make everything fit into place. Sure she isn't exactly the prettiest girl, but she knew that she was definitely worth something and she was going to be hell bent in getting that inside Sasori's thick nutshell, not wanting to wallow in her misery any longer, Sakura was ready to face her inner demons and get back on track, starting with her room.

Arriving at school in his Porsche Boxster, and donned in his aviator shades, Sasuke was the epitome of Adonis who never failed to capture any girl's attention. After grabbing his things he made his way through the school with his effortless long strides, masking the foreboding feeling he carried within. Despite Sasuke's looks and charm, he never relied on those when it comes to achieving goals, well except getting girls into bed. He was actually a gifted student and a keen observer and he knew when things are about to go wrong and right now he knew that today wasn't going to get any better.

"Good morning Teme!"

Yep, today really wasn't going to go better for the Uchiha, as a rambunctious blonde snaked an arm around his broad shoulders. But maybe if he ignored Naruto, then the pest would go away.

"Nice day, ne?"

Maybe not, remembering that Naruto always lacked in the field of sensitivity. Finally realizing defeat, he turned his head to the blonde's direction, Sasuke can't help but feel the foreboding intuition intensify. Something definitely made his stomach lurch with the ear-to-ear grin that his best friend was giving him.

"Ready to apologize, Sasuke-kuuun?"

Cocked an eyebrow.

"Your mom called me; she wanted me to make sure that you apologize to Sakura-chan PROPERLY."

"Hn" Inwardly groaning at his mom's antics, Mikoto sure knew how to push all his buttons and it irritated him to no end, fully knowing that his mom was the one person he wouldn't want to disappoint.

"How about you sing to her and give her flowers, c'mon teme, it won't hurt for your ass to go down its pedestal once in a while. I mean c'mon nobody's ass is that huge right?" Naruto blabbered, oblivious to Sasuke's temper reaching boiling point.

"Aa" vein, throbbing.

"I know! How about you get to the point and just tell her you love her and want to have sex with her coz' you've been having sex dr-"

Unfortunately, Naruto wasn't able to finish his sentence because his head had currently collided with Sasuke's copy of their 3-inch, hard bound biology book.

"Easy on the swing Uchiha, you'll damage his brain cells further," said Neji with a smirk who just arrived and was making his way to them, followed by ogling girls.

"Naruto never had brain cells to damage Hyuuga" said Sasuke as he met up with Neji and continued their way to their first class.

"Can't you be more gentle, teme? I'm your bestfriend ya know" said Naruto as he followed suit, rubbing his head.

"Hn"

The three went to their classroom and just as Sasuke was about to enter after Neji, Naruto blocked his path. But this time, gone was the grin that he wore in his face awhile ago, replaced by a serious scowl, which Naruto only reserved for severe matters.

"I mean it Sasuke, stop playing with Sakura-chan and apologize to her SINCERELY" Naruto whispered.

Not one to back down, Sasuke met Naruto's gaze with a smirk and replied with the same bravado.

"Lay off Naruto, I know how to handle girls" as he made his way past his best friend, knowing full well his back was currently being pierced by a glare of daggers.

Naruto sighed and made his way through the noisy room. Unlike others, he was able to translate Sasuke's words and he knew what the teme really meant awhile ago was "Don't worry, I'll fix this" and he knew that the bastard did really mean it. The asshole was just too proud to trade the bubble of gas sitting on his shoulders for an actual head and it didn't help that the guy was emotionally constipated. Thankfully, Naruto was able to compile a 'Sasuke dictionary' since they were kids and it always comes handy in times like this.

It was already third period and the seat beside Sasuke was still unoccupied, Sakura never came in this late. Perhaps something was really wrong and it didn't help that his guilt was eating his insides. Maybe it was time to write Ino another note.

Ino slammed the laboratory door with such force that even its hinges shook and walked over to the devil that caused her distress.

"Uchiha Sasuke I am not your personal messenger! If you want to know about Sakura's condition then ask her." Ino shouted, "that is if you can" she added with a smirk and crossed her arms.

"Where is she?" Sasuke asked nonchalantly, hiding the fact that Ino's last statement had managed to irk his already pissed mood.

"Home" Ino answered with an indignant huff, in admission of defeat, knowing full well that an apology from a lion on a killing spree was more probable than from Sasuke.

"Why?"

"Sick, I guess"

"You guess?"

"She's not well, okay?!"

"Why?"

"Why don't you ask her?"

"Why Ino?" Sasuke asked again, calmly, denying his inner turmoil that wanted to erupt the moment he stepped into school.

Ino sighed, turning her head sideways, she knew she had no hope of winning this battle of wills with Sasuke yet she still wanted to remain stubborn, so as not to betray Sakura's trust but also to try to probe a more humble inquiry from the hot head in front of her.

"I'm waiting"

But then again, this is Sasuke

"Sasori" Ino admitted, trying to make her voice as small as possible.

Silence

The blondie waited, she knew that Sasuke had anger management issues and with her current state of agitation, she knew that she WOULDN'T want to deal with it right now. So she tried to wait patiently (which wasn't easy for Ino) for the slightest sound, trying to gauge Sasuke's reaction through her hearing.

Nada.

Well, either she has gone deaf or Sasuke has gone mute. Praying for the latter, Ino mustered all the courage she had and decided to finally raise her head and confront the source of her distress, but alas to her great surprise the only sight that greeted her was an empty room and the door left ajar. Ino sighed and walked outside she didn't know how Sakura would react once she found out that Ino had told Sasuke. But even if she would get into trouble with the pinkette, her intuition told her that she did the right thing, for she knew that even if the Uchiha could be standoffish a lot of times, everything becomes different when it comes to Sakura. The only thing is the dickhead doesn't know it.

Yet.

"So how are you?" Tenten asked through the phone.

"I'm good, Ten, really" Sakura answered dejectedly.

"Sak, you didn't come to school today, do you honestly expect me to believe that you're okay?" the exasperation in Tenten's voice blatant, making Sakura sigh.

"I was about to go, mom didn't make me" Sakura explained, abashed by her mom's behavior.

"O-kay"

"You're smiling, aren't you?"

"Well, you're rolling your eyes, aren't you?" Tenten answered, making them both erupt in a cathartic amount of giggles. Sakura's mom may be overbearing at times, but what the pinkette loved about her most was her thoughtfulness.

"Well, I guess moms really know best" Tenten continued, having recovered from their fit.

"Yeah, I guess so" Sakura answered not being able to contain her smile.

"It seems you're a lot better now, I gotta go Sak. But in case you need me, you know you can just call anytime right?"

"Thanks, Ten, but you're right, really I'm better now and I promise I'll be in school tomorrow" Sakura answered trying to reassure Tenten of her better condition.

"Okay, bye Sak"

"Bye Ten"

Sakura hang up and went to the direction of her table with the intent of accomplishing the roster of home works she had asked from the brunette. Just as she sat down and picked up her pen, the door to her room opened and her mouth dropped as in came the very last person she wanted to see at the moment.

Sasuke.

After watching him close the door, Sakura stood up with a scowl on her face and crossed her arms.

"Can't you knock?" She asked angrily.

"Your mom said I was welcome" Sasuke answered, coolly as he moved to lean on the wall and put his hands inside his pockets.

Sakura sighed, not knowing which irritated her more, the fact that her family was always smitten with their "beloved Sasuke-kun" or the fact that the said "beloved" was standing in her room indifferently, acting as if he had done nothing wrong to her.

Or maybe, it was the FACT that as much as she wanted to give this "beloved" asshole a piece of her mind, his mere presence alone, combined with his effortless good looks are always enough to shake her ground, it was unnerving and frustrating. Not to add her current gaunt appearance, it just made her head want to explode.

"What do you want?" she snapped,

"You broke up with Akasuna"

Sakura didn't know which dropped to the floor first, her mouth or her heart. This was the least topic she wanted to discuss right now, more so with the least person she wanted to talk to. Trying to retain what was left of her composure; the pinkette turned and grabbed the chair with her shaky hands.

"So?" she asked with a voice that he she hoped was stable enough

"He cheated on you" Sasuke stated matter-of-factly

To hell with composure, Sakura spun around and screamed at Sasuke, "And you came here to goad?! Go on then, and tell me a big fat 'I told you so!'" she huffed not caring if her parents heard her.

Sakura crossed her arms and bowed her head, trying to control the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes. She hated it when Sasuke sees her like this, it made her feel so weak and vulnerable especially with his piercing onyx eyes; while he just always seems so nonchalant about her.

"That's not the point"

"Then, what is it Sasuke?"

"What he di-.."

"What happened to your hand?" Sasuke was just about to explain when he was cut midsentence as Sakura saw the dried bloodstains from his right hand as he ran it through his hair.

'_Damn'_ he forgot all about his bloody fist.

"Nothing" he said as he put it back inside his pocket.

"You beat him?!" she asked accusatorily as she put two in two together.

"Hn"

"Sasuke why did you do such a thing?"

"You still give a shit about that fucker after what he did to you?" he asked menacingly. Sasuke knew that he should be considerate towards Sakura with her current predicament, but he just couldn't help it, white hot anger boiled inside him. How could she still be so fucking sweet with that asshole.

Sakura sighed, muttering 'ignoramus' under her breath she marched towards her top dresser and took her first aid kit then proceeded with a predatory aim towards the Uchiha and dragged him towards her bed. She then took out the contents of her pouch to reveal small neatly packed bottles, cotton balls and band aids then began with the task of nursing the raven haired boy's hand.

Spontaneity was one of Sakura's traits that always baffled the Uchiha, one moment she was close to tears, the other she was bitching and now she was attending to him. Despite the confusion that the comfort of Sakura's nurturing hand brought him, the Uchiha was actually thankful not just for the pink haired girl's deed but also for the silence that it brought; unknown to him that the latter was actually mutual for the both of them.

"So who won?" Sakura asked whilst continuing with the task at hand.

"Do you really need to ask?" Sasuke rebutted cockily

"Cocky bastard" she muttered, with a small smile gracing her lips.

"Hn" smirked the Uchiha

"Sasori and I treat girls the same way Sakura" Sasuke continued after a moment's silence.

"And?" Sakura prodded, surprised with Sasuke's admission and quite unsure where this would take them.

Sasuke sighed, raised his downcast eyes and continued "And you don't deserve that."

For the third time that day Sakura's mouth dropped, to say that she was flabbergasted was an understatement. For Sasuke to admit that he did something wrong was as rare as the blue moon. Sakura searched his eyes and all she can see was sincerity, and she didn't know why but even her heart and gut told her that what she heard was true, for she knew that even if the Uchiha was a jackass, he was definitely not a liar, but with her heart in her mouth she knew that she still needed to know something.

"Why?"

"Because you're different" Sasuke said without a moment's hesitation.

Sakura didn't know why but she felt that a huge weight was lifted from her shoulders. She wasn't able to fully comprehend what the Uchiha said, but she knew that it was true and something akin to an apology. The pinkette was greatly overwhelmed, that the tears she kept at bay a while ago resurfaced, and this time she didn't hold back because it wasn't due to grief or anger, but because of gratitude. She didn't know if this thing she shared with Sasuke was actually friendship or something close. But whatever it is she knew that she needed it because it completed her, she may be weak, but only because he was her rock. With that thing in mind she flung herself into the waiting arms of the Uchiha and let herself be lost in his warm embrace.

Who knew she would find her greatest solace with the person she least expected.


End file.
